Kyiv, Ukraine – July 14, 2025 — Former U.S. National Security Advisor Keith Kellogg, now serving as President Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, began security talks in Kyiv on Monday amid a sharp policy shift by the White House — including plans to send Patriot air defense systems and possibly offensive weapons to Ukraine.
Trump’s decision marks a significant departure from his earlier reluctance to supply Kyiv with advanced weaponry. According to sources cited by Axios, the administration is preparing a new package of offensive arms aimed at helping Ukraine counter intensifying Russian missile and drone strikes.
“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump told reporters on Sunday before departing Joint Base Andrews. “Putin talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening.”
Trump added that Ukraine would receive “various pieces of sophisticated military equipment” and emphasised that the U.S. expects to be reimbursed — either by Ukraine or European allies — for the cost of the arms.
While the number of Patriot batteries was not disclosed, Trump indicated that the European Union would cover the cost, part of a growing effort to pressure NATO countries to shoulder more of the burden in arming Ukraine.
Kellogg is expected to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and military officials to discuss battlefield needs, sanctions enforcement, and long-term security cooperation. “Defence, weapons, sanctions, protecting our people — there are many topics to discuss,” said Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential administration.
Zelenskiy has urged the West to supply more air defence and long-range strike capabilities, as Russia continues to hold around 20% of Ukrainian territory and gains ground in the eastern regions. The Ukrainian military reported intensifying missile barrages, while the Kremlin shows no signs of altering its strategic war objectives.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is set to meet Trump in Washington this week, and German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer will hold talks with U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper. Germany, now playing a growing role in European defence, has offered to pay for Patriot systems as part of a NATO-backed initiative to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.
A Kremlin aide said Putin told Trump in a July 3 phone call that Moscow remains open to negotiations but will not abandon its core goals. Russian demands in recent talks reportedly included Ukraine ceding additional territory and accepting strict limits on its armed forces — terms Kyiv has rejected outright.
Russia continues to claim its invasion was necessary to prevent Ukraine’s NATO membership and to secure its borders. Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss those claims as unfounded, calling the war a modern-day imperial conquest.
In a recent escalation, Russian-installed officials said Ukrainian drones struck a training facility at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Kyiv has not commented on the alleged attack.
The war, now in its fourth year, has left hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and remains Europe’s deadliest ground conflict since World War II. With U.S. policy shifting and NATO unity under scrutiny, this week’s developments could shape the trajectory of the war — and the future of European security.
Reuters/s.s